Church of the Transfiguration. The report is organised in four sections: 1. «Measures of Kizhi Pogost Maintenance» (management and boundary issues, monitoring, environment and landscape protection, historical research, tourism development activities, infrastructure development, funding); 2. restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration; 3. maintenance and protection of the Church of the Intercession of Holy Mary; 4. maintenance and protection of the Bell Tower.

The State Party reports that at the federal level, funding has been secured by State order of 7 November 2008 “Plan of measures for protection of Kizhi Pogost and development of infrastructure of the Kizhi Federal Museum of Architecture and Cultural History” approved by the Government of the Russian Federation. Approximately 400 million roubles have been allocated for the treatment of the Kizhi Pogost monuments in 2009-2014, 80% of which is dedicated for the Church of the Transfiguration.

This report is clear and helpful in understanding the current situation, and the forces and factors at play which need to be addressed by management, and the policies, regulations and initiatives undertaken co-operatively by various key actors at Federal, State and local levels. The report provides the clearest picture of the state of conservation of the property received by the World Heritage Centre since inscription in 1990.

The report provides clarity on many key issues such as the measures in place to monitor and to respond to the possibility of fire. The report illustrates that most of the regulations and decrees being described as in place date from 2008, 2009 and 2010. It also states that after two decades of discussion, debate, planning efforts to repair and restore the Church of the Transfiguration are finally beginning.

However, as complete as it is, the report is not organized to respond directly to the requests made by the Committee in its Decisions at the 33rd session and at earlier sessions.

A joint World Heritage Centre-ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission was carried out from 5 to 7 April 2010. Recommendations and key findings are as follows:

a) Church of the Transfiguration

The mission noted that the fabric and structure of the Church of the Transfiguration are continuing to deteriorate and are now in a perilous state.

Over the course of more recent years the States Party has made significant progress in preparing for a major repair and restoration project at the church. Steps have been taken to reduce the rate of insect attack and decay and conservation work has started on the Church of the Transfiguration and a preventative maintenance program has been started on the Church of the Intercession. Predictable regular funding is now in place for 2009-2014 as a result of adoption of the Order “Plan of measures for maintenance and protection of Kizhi Pogost monuments”.

The mission observed that there has been good progress on development of the conservation project concept and on the conservation work itself. However, the mission had serious concerns about the technical approach to conservation of wood, the apparent lack of understanding of the dynamics of wood, as well as the potential for too much dismantling of the Church of the Transfiguration in one phase of the work.

Chemical preservatives are being used for stored logs, new roofs and in decayed areas. Unidentified chemical consolidants and fillers are being proposed for use for conservation work on the Church of the Transfiguration. The mission noted that the Kizhi restorers have little information about these products and estimates that these methods are of limited

State of conservation of World Heritage properties inscribed on the World Heritage List